


Reach for Me

by aurora_chiroptera



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Fluff, Other, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 14:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16369766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora_chiroptera/pseuds/aurora_chiroptera
Summary: Breq finds Seivarden waiting for her in her room, to celebrate an anniversary.





	Reach for Me

“Lieutenant,” I said, coming into my quarters to find Seivarden there. It was not an uncommon occurrence, but I wasn’t in the mood for company, even hers.

Seivarden looked up from where she was making tea. “Oh! Everything is not quite ready yet...”

I looked around the room, seeing that there were candles (fake, but still atmospheric) and a colorful blanket on the bed. Some fish shaped cakes sat on the table, their glazed scales shining in the “fire” light. The whole room seemed warmer, cozier than the usual utilitarian style that I liked. Soft music also played, though it had no lyrics and I didn’t recognize it. I was surprised by the calming effect all this did have on me. It wasn’t too over the top, just… nice.

“Did Ship put you up to this?” I asked. I could see Ship trying to calm me after a day of trade negotiations. 

“No, no!” Seivarden said, turning back to the tea. It seemed I had hurt her feelings.

Which made sense because, as I looked around again, because it was clear this was not a spur of the moment gathering of things. She must have been planning this for some time. “No, of course not,” I moved to take off my jacket.

“Wait, let me do that,” Seivarden said. She placed the steeping tea and our two ugly cups on the table. She then came and slipped behind me, big hands resting on my shoulders and then helping me out of the coat. She rested it carefully on the bed and then waited for me to sit. Once I did, she knelt beside me, and began to serve me the tea and cakes.

I watched all this, the steady way she went about all this with a small smile on her face. Only when I was served did she moved to take her own seat at my side. I sipped the tea, light and citrus, and took a bite of the cake. At the center was dried fruit, soft and sticky. I followed it with another sip of tea, listening to the music and watching Seivarden watch me.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling more relaxed with each passing moment.

Seivarden grinned at me, and finally took up her own tea. “This is... well... I wanted to do something to thank you.”

I raised one of my brows, trying to think if there was something recently that I had done for her. Nothing out of the usual that might earn such a display... 

Seivarden deflated a bit; it seemed I had disappointed her again. “I think this is... three years now, since you jumped off a fucking bridge to save me.”

I nodded at that, sipping the tea to try and think of something to say to that. Seivarden’s sentimentality was no always easy for me to grasp. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And now?”

“I don’t regret it,” I said, and it was true. Seivarden had been an ally I didn’t know I needed. She had been a friend when I didn’t think someone like me would ever have one. We had started our own republic.

Seivarden gave a little sigh of relief, then sipped her own tea again. “So, I wanted to thank you. I will never forget everything you have done for me.”

We sat in silence, in the warmth of the tea and company. It seemed like it had to be more than three years, with all that had happened. If I was to tell my past self that the constant in her life would be Seivarden, I might have even laughed. I certainly wouldn’t have believed it. And yet, here I was with her, a human officer who didn’t make me feel tired, or that I needed to escape. That Seivarden was now a favorite, that I cared for her more than I could even put into words.

I reached out my hand, like I had done years ago on the bridge. Here though, she was able to take it, and then she pulled me in. I fit on her lap, into her arms. We shared her teacup, as mine was now out of reach. And when the tea was gone, she moved her hands and massaged my shoulders. I let myself melt back into her, to be vulnerable. I must have fallen asleep because when I was next aware, we were in my bed. She had carried me there, and now she was curled around me snoring softly.

I was safe, and warm, and home.


End file.
